Tag Archives: sing

Music as therapy

“Music can truly be therapy and help you get through the emotional roller coasters of life. Chances are, if you’re going through something that is putting your emotions on alert – someone else has been there before and sung about it!”-SingSnap newsletter 4/26/2023

It’s hard to remain sad when you are singing, even singing a sad song.   Neil diamond in his “Song Sung Blues” song expresses this thought.

Martha Graham, (Double Strung Harpist🎵 Certified Therapeutic Musician – CCM), on Instagram as HarpPeaceGiver gives examples of her therapy work with music.   here is one example:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdFG5l7A7Xd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link 

We can’t all play an instrument, but we all have our voice and can sing.

To entertain ourselves, we can sing when we are sad or happy, and give ourselves music therapy.

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Alone? Then Sing.

Today I received a message from a man involved in a Karaoke site as am I.

In his profile is his philosophy about singing.

It bears repeating:

If you feel alone in the world …then sing
that’s the best thing to heal the Soul from loneliness….
and it keeps You healthy… sing sing sing…. and
freedom will come with you

(contact him: easy_hh  http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/member/easy_hh

HEHE- if u like my Songcreations tell your friends …i will have an ear on them…what about you… sometimes i am here in the chatroom ……i think  ich sing und DU triff mich auch in Paltalk gleicher Name
greetings from Hamburg –

find me in the other several communitys- skype or Paltalk in Germany…. same Nick or meet me in Paltalk in MY … Singingroom karaoke13 … Have a nice day…)

 

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Learn in a friendly environment

How can a person practice in front of a friendly audience until he or she becomes better and comfortable in front of an audience?
Two girls, who grew up on the same block as myself, sang together. Their mother saw to it that the duo sang on a regular basis in church. They were bad sounding, very bad but we endured their singing meeting after meeting. Of course no one claps in church and no one would tell them they were bad. So they kept singing. You know by the time those two little girls were 17/19 they sounded fantastic. Why the change?
Well over the years no one had discouraged them and with enough supportive practice they became good. But it took years.
Most of us don’t have years and we don’t have such a supportive audience of friends who will encourage our efforts. So what can we do?
My idea is online Karaoke sites.
Most of them give free memberships to get one started, paid memberships cost little and can be paid for by the month or by the year. Some even offer contests to win memberships or let others sponsor poorer members. And friendships are developed sometimes for a life time even leading to marriage in some cases. And the folks on the karaoke sites are friendly and supportive and encouraging. One can record multiple song recordings daily, as many as one wants, get to listen to and edit before others can hear and then when others do, get feedback from a friendly audience. One doesn’t have to wait the years that the sisters had to wait. You can get right at it and improve in a friendly environment.
I’ve recommended these two sites before but here we go again.
http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/sing/index
http://www.thekaraokechannel.com/online/
Go there now and sign up and get started vocalizing.

Some good advise in song from “Summer Stock” the movie with Judy Garland:

“If you feel like singing, sing”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7vkeUh9JFU
Catch you later.
Jay

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Singing – How to Start Learning to Sing

An article about singing the I want to share as it has some good points. But I’ll put my thoughts in brackets where I think they fit. Okay? Let’s start.

“Singing is one of life’s real joys and can be the source of immense pleasure and satisfaction for singer and listener alike. With the popularity of shows such as X Factor around, more and more people are giving it a shot. However, it seems to me that the vast majority don’t consider for one minute that singing incorrectly can in fact cause long term damage to your voice.”(no, I’d say perfect practice makes perfect and bad practice makes bad.)    “So if you want to sing, where should you start?”

“Well, first of all, you must understand that the voice is a natural, acoustic instrument. There is a correct, natural and safe way to sing, but unfortunately many many ways you should not sing. If you are trying to teach yourself to sing, the likelihood is that you will experiment with a number of these incorrect and potentially harmful methods. You can in fact cause damage to your voice by singing incorrectly over long periods of time.”

(Singing is just sustained speaking so my video about singing and speaking better, use of the diaphragm, exercises to do for increased lung capacity and articulation that I used are explained in a video. Check it out now.           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMA2TGrq2_E  )

“For many people, learning to sing can be incredibly frustrating. It is rare to find somebody who naturally knows how to sing correctly. It is therefore paramount that you obtain quality, proven teaching materials when you begin so that you set off in the right direction. Undoing bad habits later is difficult to do.”

(for a great course in paperback ‘Set Your Voice Free: How to get the Singing of Speaking voice You Want’   http://lnkd.in/rkfvjE )

“If you have a little more money at your disposal, finding a good singing teacher is invaluable. Unfortunately there are many people that say they teach singing but really aren’t qualified to do so. When choosing a teacher, find out as much about them as you can and try and get recommendations from other singers. Does your teacher have a proven history of singing performance? Do they teach not just by lecturing you and showing you diagrams, but by demonstration and a highly hands-on approach?”

“As a guide, when you start singing you should start by understanding the human anatomy in relation to the singing voice, learn correct breathing techniques and exercises using your diaphragm and the correct production of the vowel sounds. If you don’t understand and practice these elements fully and be totally relaxed and confident whilst doing so, it is not a good idea to try and progress any further. You will simply introduce tension into your muscles, start shallow breathing and push and squeeze your voice out. Falling into these traps is not healthy and will not make you a good singer.”

“Singing is all about a harmonious balance of a number of elements of your body; correct stance, relaxation, correct breathing,
tone production, tone placement and resonance. The best way to obtain this balance is to learn the elements step-by-step and in the correct manner. It might seem laborious. You probably want to jump straight in and start singing your favorite songs. But seriously, the methodical approach is the quickest and safest way to learn to sing. With good training materials and a good teacher, it can also be a very enjoyable and rewarding journey.”

This was by a voice couch named Dave.  Well, thanks Dave.

My advise just join a choir* and start. Sing around the house and yard,  in the car, bath, while doing chores, whatever, just be happy and start.

*(David Foster used to sing in boys Choirs and has since boyhood admired the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  And that lead to this performance by Andrea Bocelli.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFj2-u2cGQ          )

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Have Fun With Barbershop Singing

Some of the most singing fun I have ever had has been with barbershop quartet singing.  The organized group is the Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.(SPEBSQSA).  Their practice sessions are really fun.  Ladies have their own group the  Sweet Adelines International (SAI).

(SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C. Cash and Rupert I. Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938, the organization quickly grew, promoting barbershop harmony among men of all ages. As of 2012, just under 25,000 men in the United States and Canada are members of this organization whose focus is on a cappella music. The international headquarters was in Kenosha, Wisconsin for fifty years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 2007. http://barbershop.org/

The Ringmasters quartet out of Sweden. One member says he like’s all good music. Watch the following video  at the link above.

Ringmasters on NBC’s Today Show
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The Barbershop Harmony Society is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in high style. Its current champ Ringmasters appeared on NBC’s Today Show on Thursday morning, April 11, singing I Can’t Give You Anything But Love for Today hosts andEight Days A Week for Hoda and Kathy Lee.

Remember the quartet in Music Man?  See the Buffalo Bills  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbhnRuJBHLs

 (SAI) was founded in 1945. A second women’s barbershop harmony organization, Harmony, Inc., broke from SAI in 1959 over an issue of racial exclusion, with SAI (like SPEBSQSA) being a white-only organization at that time. Several international affiliate organizations, in countries around the world, add their own flavor to the signature sound of barbershop harmony.   http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/

Watch  some fine new ladies groups performances at: http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/index.cfm?id=4

Like Mitch Miller (remember his sing-a-long show?) said, “Let’s keep America singing.”

Let’s do!

Get a hold of your local group and start having fun.

 

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